Wings

From a house on the edge of her family's dustyfarmland airstrip near Chicago, the child CassieO'Malley would sneak into the night to look at theplanes sitting shimmering in the moonlight. HerWorld War I veteran father, Pat, wanted his son tobe a pilot, not his reckless, red-haireddaughter. But it was Cassie who had the gift. Ever sinceshe could remember, Cassie felt the pull ofgetting in a cockpit and taking to the skies.Observing all the while was her father's junior partner,Nick "Stick " Galvin, a fellow war aceand airborne daredevil. Nick would become herconfidant and best friend, willing to break all therules to teach her to fly, knowing that thegreatest gift he could give her was the freedom offlying. When California entrepreneur Desmon Williamssees Cassie in a local airshow, he invites her toCalifornia where she breaks new ground as a testpilot. Soon Cassie's record-breaking flights makeher a media darling. Drawn by Desmond's plans forher to break Amelia Earhardt's records, butdetermined to avoid her mistakes, Cassie trains forthe remarkable journey around the world. Frompublic appearances to press conferences, easily usedby both her husband and the press, Cassie realizesthat there is more to life than making headlines.Risking her life, pushing herself to her limits,she decides to chart her own course and pursueher own destiny, whatever it costs her. Wingsis set in a time of constant change,when the world was on the brink of war and theskies were filled with adventurers, a time whencourage and daring forever changed modern-dayaviation. From the Hardcover edition.